A Chance Meeting
by D'MoNiQ
Summary: Set when they are still teens. Iru is sixteen and has just passed the Chuunin test while Kakashi, 17, is the Anbu captain who has just returned from a mission. Prequel to Secret Lives but can stand alone.


Title: A Chance Meeting

Author: Siren M.

Summary: Set when they are still teens. Iru is sixteen and hasjust passed the Chuunin testwhile Kakashi, 17, is the Anbu captain who has just returned from a mission. Prequel to Secret Lives but can stand alone.

Spoilers: none.

Rating: general... I think.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me... TT.TT I'm just a poor student trying to entertain myself by writing fanfics. (And reading them)

Warnings: none whatsoever ....urm...unless you count the ridiculousness and the idiocy of the writer, heh heh heh.Oh and it's self-edited, so be warned of bad grammar, stupid spelling mistakes, dumb mistakes that could have been avoidable if I wasn't so bloody thick and the list goes on... I think that's about it. Oh, It's Pre-YAOI too.

Notes: "..." is speech, while ... are thoughts. The POV shifts from Iruka to Kakashi constantly.

**A Chance Meeting**

In the only lit room in the dark two storey house, a dark haired young man stood by the dressing table brushing his unbound hair in an automatic movement. His equally darkeyes focused on the sleeping village outside his window whilehis mind wandered aimlessly. As his hand slowly stopped their ministrations on his shoulder length locks, he sighed softly, almost inaudibly.

He settled the brush that once belonged to his mother down on the dressing tablebesidehis hitai-ate. Walking slowly towards the open window, as if lured by the lights flickering in the distance, he reached out with his hand. The sun-kissed hand rested on the windowsill, before he lifted his leg onto the window and climbed into the cold evening night.

There he stood, outside his window, regardless of the fact that he was in his pajamas covered with a long robe, one that once belonged to his father.The sizewas too big for him, his father was a fairly tall and large man. It will probably still be too big for him even when he did reach his maximum growth. But never the less, it was a very nice silk robe that flowed and drifted around him in the chilly evening breeze.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply, lifting his face up to the dark blue sky, mindless of the strands of hair wafting across his face. A smile slowlyspread across his lips as he lifted his arms, making as if to embrace the moon or an invisible lover.

If anyone saw him there, standing outside his window, with his arms spread out, they would think that he was crazy. But then, no one saw him. And no one would because he disappeared suddenly from where he was standing.

* * *

Kakashi nodded to his teammates, then watched them as they nodded back affirmatively and disappeared, mostly back to their respective homes. 

The silver-haired boywas about to follow their actions, not to return home but to report back to the Third Hokage when he paused, sensing something near. Following his instincts, he jumped down from one branch to another. When he finally landed to the forest floor soundlessly, he knew instictually that whatever he felt was not threatening. But he could not curb hiscuriousity. 'What was anyone doing here in the middle of the night?' he wondered.

Someone was in a moon lit clearing, standing proud and tall, long silk robes floating around the slender frame. Kakashi couldn't see his face, partly due to his position, where he was standing facing his side and partly due the long dark tresses framing the person's face.

A hand lifted, graceful and gentle, calculated.

Curious, Kakashi stayed where he was, not moving, as if part of the shadows in the night. He squinted, trying to see the other person's face.

Then another hand followed. Then slowly, in circular motion, the two hands touched, briefly and parted in a slow reluctant arc, as if depicting a story of two lovers meeting for a fleeting moment, then parting.

Kakashi watched as the lithe figure began to move, robes fluttering as long fingered hands motioned. An aura of sadness, wistfulness, longing and love seem to shroud the silk clad figure as the boy - Kakashi was sure that the person was a boy no older than he himself if not younger - danced, as if baring his soul and offering it to the Gods.(1)

**_Offering._**

Iruka didn't realize that someone was watching him, caught up in the movements of the dance he was once taught.

He danced, slowly, as his jounin teacher had once taught him before. Slow, steady and gracefully. Surprisingly, this was one of the few things that he was able to learn once and remember, though he would never admit it to anyone. He might never be able dance like his teacher, she was an accomplished dancer and Taijutsu expert after all, but he found that dancing helped. It helped him to think. And right now, he had a lot to think about.

_**Future.**_

What was he going to do? He was now a Chuunin.He had never thought of what he wanted to do after he became a secondary class ninja. Before, he had only to think of passing. Even this goal had never been his. It belonged to his teammates, and his teacher, who wanted to fulfill her promise to teach them as best as she could. And now, her work is done and the team has disbanded.

He was alone again. Just like before. After his parents was killed by the Kyuubi.

What happiness that he had felt when they had passed has longleft him. Closing his eyes, he let his hands fall in slow circular motions that signified the falling of autumn leaves. _'Many months, seasons passed before they would even hear news of one another.'_ his sensei explained as she showed him the movements, her motions natural and graceful. The first time he saw her dancing this dance, he was caught with the dance and it's significance.

Just like Iruka had been once, Kakashi was caught. By his own curiousity and the dancer's grace. He stood rooted as the dark haired one told the story of love, longing and loneliness. Things that he was so familiar and could relate with, parting with love ones. Feelings, he had felt constantly, especially loneliness. Missing parts of his life, like love.

_**Soul mates.**_

Lovers by destiny but torn apart by fate and circumstances. Alone for so long. Iruka's heart wept for them. He understood how it felt. To be alone and only half complete. To meet by chance but only by chance alone.

'But they would meet again, in the end. Because they had faith', Iruka thought to himself, his right touching his chest where his heart was. They would be whole again. As one.

_**Together.**_

To find someone who was his and someone he could belong to. It was an ideal that Kakashi would have scoffed at and under normal circumstances, he did. But now, if the idea wasn't so beautiful and so seemingly possible…

Iruka's mind drifted further as he danced. To the meeting he had with Hokage-sama, who was the closest thing to a father that he had ever had since the death of his parents.

A teacher. Hokage-sama wanted to him to teach. He didn't mind... he would like to teach. To guide others, the young children, like no one had been able to do for him. He wanted to guide those that needed him. He wanted to teach.

He knew what he wanted now.

And then, so did Kakashi.

His lips broke into a smile. _'And then, they meet again and become whole.'_

Owari?

* * *

(1) This is based on Japan's main religion shintoism, where many deities/spirits/gods are worshipped.

I drew a fanart for Iruka's team (his two teammates and teacher are original characters) the timeline is when he's about 14 (assuming that he became a genin around that age). Will post it (when I get it scanned and cg-ed). Unfortunately though, my scanner can't be used at the moment, so it'll have to wait for quite a while.


End file.
